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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858206">Affairs of the Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/acetheblade/pseuds/acetheblade'>acetheblade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, break ups, everybody loves keith, keith gets the love he deserves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:01:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/acetheblade/pseuds/acetheblade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith thought he and Lotor were on the same page about their relationship. Everything was going well, until it wasn’t. Sometimes it takes losing something good to find something better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lotor (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Allura (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Late Nights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A short thing! Not sure if I’ll continue this or not or how long it will be!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Keith??”</p><p>“I know it’s late- or.. early.. can I come in?”</p><p>He was right. It was early. The knocking had woken Shiro from a fitful sleep and when he had checked the clock at his bedside it had mockingly proclaimed 3:13AM. </p><p>“Yeah, of course!” Shiro stepped away from the entrance to let a hooded, pajama-clad Keith into his apartment before closing the door. Keith mumbled a gruff “thanks” and made his way to the sofa, where he sat and leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. </p><p>Shiro hovered nervously before opting to join his best friend, sitting and reaching out to place a tentative hand on Keith’s back. Every line of the smaller man was wrought with tension, and Shiro was afraid that any wrong move would break the thin veneer of control he seemed to have. Thankfully, Keith eased into the touch and let out the breath he was holding. Shiro knew better than to push him, so he waited, and after a couple of minutes of rubbing soothing circles on his friend’s back the silence was broken. </p><p>“Lotor got home late again.” Shiro froze, taking back his hand and placing it in his own lap at the mention of Keith’s boyfriend. He was carefully neutral with his response. </p><p>“Oh? Was everything... alright?” Shiro played with a loose string on his boxers and wished he had answered the door in a better state of dress, at least with a shirt on. Relationship talks could go on for a while and he was suddenly chilled and uncomfortable in his living room. He had never really liked Lotor, but from what Shiro heard he treated Keith well enough and they’d been together for 2 years now, since Keith graduated high school. </p><p>“I thought so? We... fucked. And he said he loved me.” Keith always turned a little pink at the mention of sex and it was endearing coming from someone who was generally seen as some hot shot bad boy. Shiro was understandably a little confused though, this was hardly run-away-and-wake-up-your-best-friend-at-3AM news.</p><p>Keith’s face was turned away from him, so Shiro missed it when the first teardrops fell. But a hitching breath had Shiro starting with alarm and when Keith looked up at him it was with big fat droplets of saltwater running down his cheeks. “Then he just starts talking about how he thinks he has feelings for someone else?”</p><p>“Oh, Keith-“ Shiro is cut off by a hiccuping laugh and there’s a bitter, self-deprecating grin on his best friend’s face. </p><p>“He’s saying this minutes after making love to me in our bed, a-after fucking me and telling me how good I am for him and how I’m only his. W-what the fuck am I supposed to say to that?” Keith’s rubbing furiously at the tears on his face and Shiro does all he really can do in that moment and crushes Keith to his chest. The smaller man whimpers and then there’s two lithe arms winding around Shiro’s middle and gripping him for dear life. Shiro learned a long time ago that Keith almost never cries, and when he does it’s silent and short, something he adapted to doing to survive in uncaring foster homes as he was growing up. At the thought he holds Keith tighter. </p><p>“I’m so sorry Keith, shhh, I’m here.” Shiro soothes, burying his face in dark hair and resuming the circles he had been massaging on Keith’s back. </p><p>Keith still doesn’t make much noise, but he cries for a long time in the comfort of Shiro’s embrace. Long enough that when he finally catches his breath and steadies against Shiro’s chest his violet eyes are puffy and swollen and Shiro’s heart breaks at the sight. </p><p>“Are you alright?” Shiro knows the answer but can’t help but ask, worry gnawing at him. The sun is starting to peek out above the horizon outside the window, casting Keith in a hazy orange light. Even like this he’s beautiful, even broken down he takes Shiro’s breath away. </p><p>“A little better... just... tired.” Keith rasps. Shiro wipes a stray tear from his pale face and guides Keith into laying down on the sofa. </p><p>“Get some rest.” He whispers and makes to leave only to have nimble fingers latch onto his wrist like a vice. </p><p>Keith. Vibrant, courageous, dazzling Keith looks up at Shiro with desperate eyes and pleads, “don’t go.”</p><p>So he stays. </p><p>Exhaustion claims the raven-haired beauty eventually, and he falls asleep to Shiro’s fingers running soothingly through his hair. Shiro sits on the floor till his ass is numb. He only gets up to scrabble to turn off his alarm when it blares from the other room, sliding into a robe and some pants and bringing his phone and a blanket for Keith before resuming his post. He shoots Allura a text that he’ll be out of work today and leans back against the sofa, listening to his friend’s slow, even breaths and plotting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The sharpshooter heals too</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Does Lance think Keith needs a haircut? Yes.<br/>Does Lance find Keith’s habit of surviving off of solely jerky and coffee when left to his own devices downright terrifying? Yes.<br/>Does Lance also think that he might be one of the best friends he’s ever had? Yes.<br/>Does he have the utmost respect for his friends Shiro and Keith? 100% yes.<br/>Does that mean he’ll let Shiro and Keith figure out whatever weird romantic feelings they have for each other at the same snails pace they’ve been going at for years now that has left them both open to heartbreak and disappointment and left the rest of them dying by the torture of their friends’ pining? Absolutely not. Not for one second longer.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Lance, really, everything is fine. I can handle it.”</p><p>“Takashi Shirogane if you don’t get those rippling pecs out of my face I will break in while you are sleeping and give you the worst case of frosted tips this galaxy has ever seen.”</p><p>Shiro sighs, knowing he has to pick his battles with the Cuban boy. “Just... be gentle.”</p><p>A small scuffle registers in Keith’s ears before he is being rudely awoken by an all too familiar, bony ass digging into his midsection. Keith bucks, eyes flying open as a squawking Lance scrambles to his feet. He’s wearing an oversized sea green knit sweater with light blue skinny jeans and navy converse that accentuate his long legs and feet. He has big shades on that he pushes unceremoniously onto his head as he slurps coffee from a straw.</p><p>“What the fuck Lance!”</p><p>“Dios mío! You look like a stoned raccoon!”</p><p>Behind Keith, Shiro facepalms. </p><p>Keith bristles immediately. Sensing his ire, Shiro gives Lance A Look, and watches as the tanned figure is quick to grab one of the coffees and paper bags he left on Shiro’s counter. “Down kitty, I brought the good stuff. Hunk sends his love.” Keith’s puffy eyes brighten at the cup of black coffee and he rips into the still-warm cinnamon roll, letting out a throaty groan of delight that has Shiro’s palms sweating. He wipes them inconspicuously on his gray plaid pajama pants and decides he can forgive Lance’s rudeness in Keith’s fragile state when ocean eyes roll at him and the Cuban nods towards the remaining bag and drink. “Those are for you, you big baby, soy milk and a disgusting amount of sugar.”</p><p>“That’s my sharpshooter!” Shiro grins and goes to retrieve his treats. He catches a glimpse of his reflection in the shiny electric kettle on the counter, noting his own pair of raccoon-esque eye bags and the stain on his pj shirt. Oh well, his friends had seen him looking a lot worse than that. When he returns Lance is watching Keith lick the sugar from his fingers and take long gulps of iced coffee. He’s sitting against the arm of the sofa now with his red sweat clad legs pulled close, Lance taking up the newly free half of the seat. Shiro opted to sit on the low coffee table in front of the tv.</p><p>There’s a weird calm over the two of them now, one that Shiro isn’t usually privy too but recognizes all the same. Keith and Lance had reached a sort of understanding and camaraderie in their senior year of high school when Shiro had gone on ahead of them in his first year of college. It had come as both a surprise and a relief to him, as he had spent most of their shared years in school intervening when they inevitably butted heads. </p><p>The teasing lilt was gone from Lance’s voice when he spoke next. “So. Lotor called me looking for you this morning. And Allura was worried when Shiro called off earlier...” Bright ocean eyes flitted to Shiro with a flash of guilt before fixing back on Keith’s lowered gaze. “Did he finally come clean?”</p><p>Oh. </p><p>Shiro had thought this was a new development in Keith’s life. </p><p>Keith let out a long breath. “Yes... and no. He didn’t say who it was and didn’t say anything about how long it’s been going on. Just that there’s someone else.” Shiro noticed that he left out the painful bit about getting used for sex before being broken the news and tried not to tear too viciously into his pastry. </p><p>That was enough for Lance though, who scoffed and crossed his arms indignantly. “I never trusted his smug face. That bitch!” Shiro wholeheartedly agreed. But the way they were talking about it bothered him. </p><p>“Keith... did you know?” Shiro tried not to be too hurt that he’d apparently been left out of something important like this. He could have been there for Keith from the start if he had known. </p><p>Keith’s lips were chapped and twisted into a frown. He wrapped his arms around his bunched up legs and wouldn’t meet Shiro’s eyes. He looked especially small in the hoodie he was wearing, and Shiro notes that it was probably his boyfriend’s. “I... suspected. Not at first, but he’d been coming home later and later. Suddenly he had all these new friends I didn’t know that never had the time to meet me or disappeared just before I got there. When he’s home... things are different. It’s like he doesn’t even see me unless we’re... you know.”</p><p>At this Shiro grits his teeth and Lance makes a sympathetic noise. </p><p>Keith gives Shiro a harried look and stumbles on. “Don’t get me wrong! He’s not mean, we haven’t even been fighting, he’s just... not there anymore. And I miss him. I miss feeling like I matter to him as more than just an in-home lay.”</p><p>It’s quiet for a few minutes. Each of them mulling over what’s been said. Shiro is having trouble wrapping his head around the whole thing. It’s not like he was a stranger to growing out of love, he’d gone through a similar enough situation with Adam, although Adam had never cheated and hadn’t left him for someone else. They had just wanted very different things from the relationship. But this was Keith. Fiery, loving, one-of-a-kind Keith. Not only was he gorgeous, but kind and passionate, loyal to a fault. Who could want anything more? </p><p>Who could hold the sun in their hands and say the heavens weren’t enough?</p><p>“That bitch.” Shiro bitterly echoed Lance’s earlier sentiment and his two friends nearly broke their necks in their whiplash haste to turn to him. </p><p>There was a pause, and then Lance broke into raucous laughter. </p><p>“Shiro!” Keith spluttered and leaned out of the way as Lance rocked with mirth, the sunglasses nearly knocked loose from his short brown hair. </p><p>“You tell ‘em Shiro!”</p><p>The mood had shifted again, and Shiro was glad for it, glad for the small smile that tugged at the corner of Keith’s mouth. He wished he could kiss it and feel his favorite smile grow under his lips. </p><p>Woah. </p><p>Suddenly it was... really hot in his small apartment. And it had nothing to do with the coffee he was now gripping too tight. Shiro ran a shaky hand through his white forelock and took a big swig of coffee, nearly choking on it when he found Lance looking at him with an all too knowing smirk. </p><p>“Anyways. What are we doing about it?” Lance sets his iced coffee down next to Shiro where he sits on the coffee table. The brunette pulls out his phone and starts tapping furiously at it. Maybe it was the prosthetic, but Shiro doubted that even at his best he could ever text at even half the speed his friend did. </p><p>Keith scowled half-heartedly, toying with his straw. “WE aren’t doing anything about it. I’m thankful you were willing to listen but I’m not dragging you guys into my relationship bs.”</p><p>Lance’s fingers stopped and his eyes narrowed. “WE most certainly are. Look mullet, I trust you to hold your own in a 10-1 fist fight. If I need to hide a body, you’re my go-to guy.”</p><p>“I hardly think that’s-“ Shiro tries and gets shushed for his efforts. </p><p>“-BUT I cannot and will not leave you to your own devices when it comes to matters of the heart. You’re the most bull-headed idiot ever when it comes to your own worth. All Lotor has to do is sing a sad song about daddy ignoring him as a kid and you’ll give in like you always do.”</p><p>“That’s not fair! You know his dad was a piece of shit-“</p><p>“So then he should know better!” Lance exclaimed, long-fingered hands thrown up in exasperation. “Shiro, back me up on this.”</p><p>Two sets of narrowed eyes focus on the bigger man and Shiro suddenly understands what ants must feel like under a magnifying glass. He tries to find a middle ground. “Well.. Keith is an adult, and we should respect his wishes if he wants to deal with things a certain way.” Keith gives Lance a smug look and Shiro steels his nerves to continue. “However.. I really wish you would let us help you. You’re my best friend Keith, if I can be there for you in any way... I want to.” Heat prickles at the back of his neck as Keith meets his eyes. “Please, let me be there for you.”</p><p>Outside of their locked gaze Lance is tapping away at his phone again, happy to give them a moment if it means swaying Keith to his viewpoint. In his opinion, almost nothing was as lethal as puppy dog eyes from his 6’4” massively thick friend. Except maybe Hunk’s hugs. Or that special smile Allura saved just for him. He wasn’t quite sure of their effectiveness on Keith though, so he was content enough to trick Shiro into doing the heavy lifting. </p><p>Shiro, whose face had gone unbearably soft with tenderness for Keith, smiled when the raven-haired boy nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay, Shiro.”</p><p>“Thank you, Keith.”</p><p>The moment ending, Lance drew himself up imperiously to gain their attention again. He smiled coyly and Keith had a sudden sinking in his gut. That particular face meant something very Lance was going to be happening and Keith would have little to no say in it. He too had learned to pick his battles with Lance. </p><p>“Stop smirking. What is it?”</p><p>“Shiro is too nice to say it outright, but you look like shit.”</p><p>Shiro gaped and hurried to defend his best friend’s honor, “hey! He’s had a really rough night-“</p><p>“Exactly!” Lance stood and his lanky body seemed to bounce with excitement. “You know I have an emergency kit in my trunk at all times, and this is definitely an emergency.” </p><p>20min and a harsh tug of Keith’s ear later, Shiro was trying to hide a smile as Lance applied an under eye mask to the swollen bags of Keith’s eyes. His dark hair had been pulled into a short ponytail that stuck straight up from the top of his head. </p><p>“If it helps, it’s a very cute look on you.” Shiro grinned, not even bothering to suppress a chuckle as Keith swatted at him blindly, his eyes screwed tight against the cool gel on his face. </p><p>“Shut up and coffee me.” Keith huffed and Shiro reached under Lance’s arm to guide the straw to Keith’s pouting lips. Shiro was very careful not to let his gaze linger too long lest he have any more embarrassing thoughts about that mouth. Lance seemed to have other plans though, and clucked his tongue in disapproval. </p><p>“Ew. Your lips look like sandpaper, Mullet.” He muttered and dug for a few moments into the little basket of skincare treatments he normally stashed in his trunk, ignoring the middle finger aimed his way. “Shiro, come here, I need another set of hands.” Lance ordered and scooted to the side to make room for Shiro’s bulk. </p><p>“Yes Commander,” Shiro joked and watched as Lance opened a small brown jar. The Cuban raised it to his much larger friend’s nose and Shiro sniffed dutifully, smiling at the sweet smell. “What’s that?”</p><p>“Lip scrub. It’s brown sugar! Makes your lips irresistible,” he enthused and pressed the open jar into Shiro’s prosthetic hand. “Put it on him.”</p><p>Shiro froze and Keith huffed. “I can do it myself.”</p><p>“Not with your eyes closed you can’t,” Lance sniffed smugly and gave Shiro one of his startlingly piercing looks. “Shiro is gonna do it, his hands are clean. Man up.”</p><p>Keith shrugs as if to say ‘you’re the boss’ and raises his chin expectantly. </p><p>And Shiro starts to sweat. This is exactly what he’d been attempting to avoid. Keith’s face was always dangerous territory. He could command with just a glance of his deep violet eyes and break hearts with his disarming, toothy grin. His lips, even chapped as they were now, were plush and definitely the focal point of many of Shiro’s day dreams. They waited patiently for him, slightly pursed, like a delicate rosette. Shiro dips a finger in the gooey mixture and raises it to Keith’s full bottom lip, pressing into the cushion of flesh. A shudder passes almost imperceptibly over Keith’s resting form and Shiro swallows hard. He remembers himself and applies it to his friend’s lips thoroughly, pulling his hand away and excusing himself to go wash his hand when he’s done, the tip of his finger tingling. Keith says nothing, a little out of breath, and Lance wonders if there’s hope for his two idiot friends after all. </p><p>After Keith’s face has been properly pampered and freed of products, Lance makes a show of inspecting his work.</p><p>“Wow Keith, for someone who probably uses 3-in-1 body wash and shampoo your skin is actually kind of perfect.”</p><p>“Fuck off, you know I’m using those expensive soaps you got Lotor and I for our anniversary.” Keith quips, and Lance watches a flicker of pain cross his face at the mention of his boyfriend before it disappears again behind a cool mask. </p><p>The treatment worked wonders and you could hardly tell Keith had spent his night crying, something Lance wouldn’t even have believed happened if he hadn’t seen the red rings around his eyes himself. </p><p>“No Lotor talk. For at least the next 24 hours that bitch is Voldemort okay?” Lance says, which earns him a snort from Shiro. The big nerd. “He who must not be named, capiche?”</p><p>Keith pantomimes locking his lips and retreats to the sofa to find something to watch. This leaves Shiro and Lance to finally convene in peace about their friend. </p><p>“We could kill him,” Lance whispers half jokingly and Shiro gives his shoulder an appreciative squeeze. </p><p>“Right now I just want to make sure Keith has the space to think about what he wants to do next,” Shiro responds and they both look in Keith’s general direction before starting their goodbyes at a normal volume. </p><p>“Just sayin,” Lance laughs and throws back a last  “think about it!” Then he’s gone. </p><p>Shiro can’t deny that the idea of a little just desserts isn’t tempting, but not at the expense of Keith’s feelings. </p><p>“Think about what?” Keith questions when Shiro finally joins him on the sofa. His fair skin looks supple and creamy, and his dark eyelashes fan across eyes so deep and dark they seem to have their own gravitational pull. At least, that must be why Shiro keeps getting lost in them. </p><p>“Nothing. Mortal Kombat?” Shiro asks and watches the challenge flare in Keith’s eyes.</p><p>“You’re on. No crying when I kick your ass with Kitana.”</p><p>“Bring it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’ve always loved the way Lance stepped up as Keith’s right hand man when he became the Black Paladin! They’ve come a long way, and though they still butt heads I feel like they learned to really value each other as comrades and friends! I also really love to explore Lance’s personality and he reminds me of my sister who is also obsessed with skincare and beauty regimes. It’s like her own love language and she shares it with me as her own way of showing she cares when I’m down, so I feel like Lance would do the same. Beauty isn’t everything, but it’s surprising how much better a little self care will make you feel when you’re having a bad day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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